Continuous-cigarette machine.



No.-70l ],958. Patented ma 27, I902.

F. J. LUDINGTON.- CONTINUOUS CIGARETTE MACHINE.

(No Model.)

4 Sheets-Sheet I.

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F. J. LUDINGTUN. CONTINUOUS CIGARETTE MACHINE.

(Application filed May 13, 1901.)

4 sheets sheet 2.

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Jiie a No. 700,958. Patented May 27, I902.

F. J. LUDINGTON.

CONTINUOUS CIGARETTE MACHINE.

(Application filed May 13, 1901.)

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-8heei 3.

(ND Model.)

F. J. LUDINGTON.

CONTINUOUS CIGARETTE MACHINE. (Application filed May 13. 1901.

Patented May 27, I992.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4;

UNrrn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK J. LUDINGTON, OF \VATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

CONTINUOUS-CIGARETTE MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 700,958, dated May 27, 1902. Application filed May 13,1 01. Serial no. 59,955. (Nomodeld 1'0 all 10700122, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK J. LUDINGTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at 27 West Main street, \Vaterbury, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Continuous-Cigarette Machines, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

The object of the present invention is to furnish an improved mechanism for the manufacture of oval or so-called Turkish cigarettes.

It is well known that a cigarette-filler requires repeated pressing and shaping to compact the tobacco and give it a permanent set in the form or cross-section which it is required to possess. Heretofore a round filler has sometimes been used in the manufacture of oval cigarettes, the shaping of the cigarette itself being effected by carrying the tape with the filler and the paper wrapper through oval-shaped formers; but in such cases it has been found impossible to form sharp edges upon the opposite corners of the cigarette, as the round filler persistently retains some of its rounded form. Oval cigarettes have also been made by making a'filler of diamond shape and delivering it directly to the paper wrapper and tape to be molded into oval shape by oval formers. \Vith such latter ap-' paratus the filler is shaped byonly a single pressure of the wheels which give it the diamond cross-section, and such single pressure is not sufficient to compact the tobacco, and the subsequent application of the wrapper rounds the opposite corners of the cigarette, and an imperfect oval form is produced.

In the present invention, 1 use three instrumentalities to thoroughly compact the tobacco, the first consisting of a broad flat presser-wheel which operates upon the feeding-belt to compact a thin layer of tobacco. The second consists of two horizontal wheels with their junction upon the surface of the I feed-belt and their edges angularly grooved to give the tobacco a diamond-shaped section. The third consists of a wheel having rounded groove in its periphery of nearly semicircular section, which presses the diamondshaped filler firmly upon the fiat surface of the feed-belt and gives it a sufficient final pressure to form a strong and durable fillerrod. I have discovered that the tobacco can be advantageously delivered to the formers in a half-round section, as the oval formers operate efficiently. to press the fiat side of the filler into the desired curve, which throws the corners of the half-round filler outwardly. As the tobacco in such corners has been compaeted by three separate pressures they retain their sharp angles, and the completed cigarette thus possesses the desirable characteristics of opposite sharp corners.

The cigarette-filler is often shaped upon a moving tape, which supports the paper wrapper and serves afterward to fold the wrapper when carried through suitable formers. There a downward pressure is exerted upon "a tape to mold the filler, the tape requires support by a stationary bed, and the filler very rapidly wears the bed, and thus modifies the shape which is imparted to the filler and necessitates the renewal or repair of the bed. In the present machineIavoid such wear and avoid any deformation of the filler by shap- .ing the tiller upon a feed-belt which is incapable of yielding under the pressure applied, and therefore produces no wear upon the bed. The tape in such machines is limited in width by the size of the cigarette as it is used to fold the edges of the wrapper; but the feed-belt in my construction may be made twice as wide'as and very much thicker than the tape, and may, if necessary, be lubricated where it slides over the bed, so that no appreciable wear is produced. With such construction the tape and the wrapper are both led beneath the filler as the latter is delivered from the feed-belt,{the forming of the filler being effected close to such deliverypoint.

My invention also includes certain arrangements of gearing for driving the various shaping-wheels and for connecting the horizontal .7

shaping-wheels with the axle of the feed belt pulley.

My invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan'of acigarette-machine,

showing chiefly the parts which relate to my improvement. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a plan of the appliances for nearer stripper removed from the final com-.

pressing-channel. Fig. 7 is an end view of the guide-roll and guides for the tape and wrapper. Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the strippers. Fig. 9 is a vertical cross-section near the center of the horizontal shapingwheels, showing the guard-plate and the feedbelt above and below such wheels. Fig. 10 is a similar cross-section taken through the center of the round-grooved wheel G. Fig. 11 is a similar cross-section taken through the center of the fiat presser-wheel E. Fig. 12 is a section of the filler-rod as delivered to the formers. Fig. 13 is a section of the formers and the tape, and Fig. 14 is a section of the completed cigarette. Fig. 5 to 11, inclusive, are drawn upon a scale twice as large as Figs. 5 to 8, and Figs. 12, 13, and 14 are drawn of the natural size, which would appear in the patent as of two-thirds such size. The apparatus for supplying the tobacco .to the feed-belt is omitted, but the deliveryspout thereofis indicated atS in Figs. 1 and 2.

,A A designate belt-wheels, with the endless feed-belt B carried over the same. The feed-beltisin practice much wider and thicker than the tape which is used to form the wrap.-

per around the filler. A driving-shaft B is shown with band-pulleys B to drive the same. A shaft to is extended through the pulley A and connected by spiral gears d. and spurgears'e with the driving-shaft B.

Over the center of the belt-wheel A are arranged stripper-guides F of suitable width to shape the cigarette-filler, (see Figs. 5 and 6,) and the round-grooved wheel G is fitted between such guides and presses the tobacco uponthe moving belt. Horizontal annularlygrooved wheels 0 C are arranged with their contiguous edges over the middle line of the groove.

' upper surfaces of the horizontal wheels at I the horizontal wheels 0 C.

feed-belt, the peripheries of the wheels C O touching the ends of the guides F F, which thus-act as strippers to the contents of the A guard-plate His applied to the their junction, its rear lying close to the periphery of the wheel G, but permitting such wheel to fit closely between the rear edges of As the wheel G is over the center of the belt-wheel A the conters of the horizontal wheels are necessarily in advance of the shaft a. Such arrangement of the horizontal wheels brings their shafts c at onev side of the shaft a, and as bevelthe gearing to drive both the vertical shafts directly from the shaft of the belt-pulley A. The vertical shafts o are arranged at one side of the shaft a at equal distances from the center of the belt, and the shaft is extended from each side of the belt-wheel through suitable bearings (which are not shown in the drawings) a sufficient distance to support the spiral gears a opposite the shafts c. The guides D are supported over the surface of the belt in advance of the grooved wheels to receive the tobacco from the spout S, and the belt carries the same toward the junction of the grooved wheels. A fiat-faced presser-wheel Eis fitted between the guides close to the junction of the wheels 0 O, as shown in Fig. 11, and the guard-plate H is applied to the upper sur-' faces of the horizontal wheels, as shown in Figs. 4. and 9, between the peripheries of the presser-wheels E and G, and such guard-plate wholly covers the space between the wheels 0 and C, so that the tobacco is confined to the angular grooves of such wheels when passing from the flat-faced wheel E to the grooved wheel G. A shaft 41 for rotating the wheel E is mounted in a bracket-bearing I and connected by bevel and sprocket gearsf and f with the drivingshaft B. An arm J (shown in Fig. 4 and in section in Fig. 3) is pivoted upon the shaft t and carries the shaft g for the presser-wheel G. Cog-wheels h connect the shaft 1' with the presser-wheel G through an intermediate gear J, pivoted upon the arm J. The arm J also sustains the guard-plate H by means of a bracket-arm h. (Shown in Fig. 9.) The arm J has a slotted extension 70, with a bolt inserted through the slot into the bracketbearing 1, whichbolt serves to hold the arm J in its adjusted position, with the presser- Wheel G at a suitable distance from the feed belt B to form the cigarette-filler in halfround shape. The connection of the guard plate H and the presser-wheel G with the arm J makes them both movable with the arm when turned upon the shaft t', and the loosening of the bolt K permits the arm to be thus turned to lift the presser-wheel and the guard, and thus gain access to the tobacco under the same. Such access is often necessary when the tobacco clogs the passage through excessive feeding or other causes. grooved wheel G is over the center of the beltwheel A, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the filler, as soon as it is pressed thereby, can be stripped from the belt and delivered to the paper wrapper. The stripping is effected, as shown in Fig. 6, by a shoe F, which rests upon the belt in the rear of its center line and between the guides F and leads the filler far enough from the belt to introduce a roll 25, over which the tape and wrapper can be led beneath the filler. Figs. 5 and 6 led into the formers m, and'the paper wrapper 0 is carried in uponthe top of the tape in the usual manner, so as to envelop the filler when the tape is curved into the desired form by the formers. The shoe As the The tape n is shown in F is placed as near as possible to the center of the belt-wheel A, and the paper and tape are led beneath the filler as close to such belt-wheel as the roll 6' can be introduced, so that the filler is received and supported by the paper very close to the delivery end of the shoe.

The filler t is shown in Figs. 8 and 7 passing from the shaping-wheels to the formers, the nearer guide F being removed in Fig. 7 to expose the same and the presser-wheel G being omitted from such figure. Fig. 13 shows formers adapted to fold the tape into a U shape and mold the cigarette into oval cross-section. The operation of cigaretteformers which fold the paper over the filler are already well known, and they are not, therefore, illustrated in detail herein. A bed M sustains the parts in operative relation, and a pasting-wheel p is shown connected with a paste-cylinder in Figs. 1 and 2, and a rotary knife q is shown in Fig. 1, with a chute 7' for delivering the cigarettes; but all these appliances may be made of any well-known form, as the essential part of my invention is the means operated upon the surface of the feed-belt for compressing and shaping the tobacco into an angular rod and then forming such rod into a half-round cigarettefiller.

By subjecting the tobacco three separate times to the action of different presser-wheels E, C, C, and G the filler t is compacted and sufficiently set to preserve the sharp corners which are given to it by the round-grooved wheel G. The compacting of the filler is greatly facilitated by operating the grooved wheel G in conjunction with a fiat belt upon which the wheel G can be pressed with any desired force, which is not the case where a tape or paper wrapper lies beneath the filler. Strong pressure upon the paper wrapper serves to wrinkle it and sometimes operates to cut and injure the tape, and the introduction of the filler to the tape and wrapper after it is formed upon the flat belt thus enables me to make the filler more perfectly, so that it retains its sharp corners when molded into the oval form.

The wheels G C operate upon the sides of the filler; but experience has shown that such wheels are unable to produce corners upon the filler of sufficient density to maintain their sharpness when molded into the wrapper by dies, and the appearance of the cigarettes is thus impaired. Bypressing the filler upon a flat surface by a grooved wheel I am enabled to use a positive pressure which forms dense firm corners upon the filler, which retain their sharpness when inclosed in the wrapper, and the perfection of such corners is an entire compensation for any disadvantage in the use of a half-round filler. I find in practice that such form for the filler is not any real disadvantage, as the paper wrapper which receives the filler is carried through forming-dies which push the corners upon the flat side of the filler upwardly without injuring their texture, and a cigarette is thus formed of oval shape with perfect corners. This results from the gradual upward bending of the corners as the filler enters the forming-dies, which owing to the density of the corners changes their relation to the bottom of the filler without changing their form. By the discovery that a half-round filler can be used I am enabled to finish the filler upon the naked surface of a flat belt, and thus press the same with any degree of firmness by the grooved wheel G, and as the belt moves at the same rate as the tobacco no friction is generated by the pressure to wear the forming agencies, as always occurs when the forming pressure is exerted upon astationary halfround die. Experience has shown that the corners of the half-round filler preserve their angles when the bottom of the cigarette is curved by the former, and the finished article is thus provided with the sharp corners, which are so much desired.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what is claimed herein is 1. In a continuous-cigarette machine, the combination, with the belt-wheels A, A, and the fiat beltD driven thereby, of the grooved shaping-wheel G arranged to press the filler directly upon the naked surface of the fiat belt over the center of the wheel A, means for stripping the tobacco from the belt and means for leading a tape and cigarette-wrapper beneath the filler adjacent to the wheel G when delivered from the belt, means for feeding the tobacco to the belt, and means operated upon the surface of the belt for compressing and shaping the tobacco into an angular rod and delivering it to such shaping-wheel and belt, the whole operating to form a half-round filler and deliver the same to the wrapper and tape.

2. In a continuous-cigarette machine, the combination, with the belt-wheels .A, A, and the flat belt B driven thereby, of two horizontal angularly-grooved wheels 0, O, adapted to form a diamond-shaped filler-rod upon such belt, guides D to confine the tobacco delivered to the belt, the flat-faced presser-wheel E between the guides just preceding the horizontal wheels, guides F upon the belt beyond such horizontal wheels to determine the width of the filler-rod, the vertical round-grooved wheel G operating upon the naked surface of the belt between such guides over the center of the belt-wheel A to give a half-round shape to the filler-rod, the shoe F for stripping the fiat side of the filler-rod from the belt, and means for leading a tape and cigarette-wrapper beneath the filler adjacent to such shoe.

3. In a continuous-cigarette machine, the combination, with the belt-wheels A, A, and the flat belt 13 driven thereby, of two horizontal angularly-grooved wheels 0, C, adapted to form a diamond-shaped filler-rod upon such belt, guides D to confine the tobacco delivered to the belt, the fiat-faced presser-wheel E between the guides just preceding the horijunction of the horizontal wheels 0, G, and

extending between the wheels E and G to confine the tobacco to the space between the horizontal wheels, the shoe F for stripping the flat side of the filler-rod from the belt, and means for leading a tape and cigarette-wrapper beneath the filler adjacent to such shoe.

4. In a continuous-cigarette machine, the combination, with belt-pulleys and a feedbelt, of the horizontal angularly grooved wheels 0, 0', meeting upon the surface of such belt, guides D for the tobacco upon the belt, the fiat-faced presser-wheel E between the guides just preceding the horizontal wheels, guides F upon the belt beyond such horizontal wheels to determine the width of the fillerrod, a shaft for rotating the wheel E with bracket-bearing I projected. over one of the horizontal wheels, aswinging arm J journaled upon such bearing and having the grooved wheel G journaled thereon and fitted between the guides F, and the guard-plate H fitted between the wheels E and G over the horizontal wheels and attached to the arm J, and means to secure such arm when adjusted, whereby the wheel G and the guard-plate may be lifted from the horizontal wheels or adjusted in their working position.

5. In a continuous-cigarette machine, the combination, with the belt-wheels A, A, and

- the flat beltB driven thereby, of two horizontal angularly-grooved wheels 0, 0, adapted to form a diamond-shaped filler-rod upon such belt, guides D to confine the tobacco delivered to the belt, the fiat-faced presser-wheel E between the guides just preceding the horizontal wheels,with shaft'iextendingbackwardly, the hearing I to sustain such shaft, the arm J pivoted upon such shaft, the round-grooved wheel G ijournaled upon such arm and arranged to press the tobacco upon the naked surface of the belt, the gear-wheels upon the said arm connecting the shaft i with the grooved wheel G, a shoe for stripping the filler formed by the wheel G upon the belt, and means adjacent to such shoe for leading a tape and cigarette-wrapper beneath the filler.

6. In a continuous-cigarette machine, the combination, with the traveling feed-belt B, and the two horizontal angularly-grooved wheels 0, 0, arranged to form a diamondshaped filler-rod upon such belt, of the guides D to confine the tobacco delivered to the belt, the flat presser-wheel E between such guides close to the junction of the horizontal wheels with shaft E extending backwardly, the bearing I to sustain such shaft, the arm J pivoted upon such shaft, the round-groovedvwheel G journaled upon such arm and fitted to press the tobacco upon the belt as it is discharged from the grooved wheels 0, G, gearing upon the said arm connecting the shaft E with such grooved wheel, the guard-plate H sustained upon the said arm and held over the junction of the wheels 0, 0, between the wheels E and G, and means for securing the arm when the grooved wheel and the guardplate are properly adjusted to the wheels 0, O, substantially as herein set forth.

7. In a continuous-cigarette machine, the combination, with the belt-wheels A, A, and the fiat belt B driven thereby, with the vertical grooved wheel G arranged over the'center of the pulley A, and horizontal grooved wheels C, 0, having their edges upon the surface of the belt just in advance of the wheel G, whereby the shafts cof said grooved wheels 0, O, are at one side of the shaft a carrying the pulley A, the bearing 0 of the shafts 0 adjustable to and from the wheel 0, and the shaft (1 provided 'at opposite sides of the wheel A with the spiral gears a, and the vertical shafts 0 having the spiral gears 0' connected with the spiral gears a, whereby the grooved wheels G, O, are driven directly from the shaft of the belt-wheel.

In testimony-whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK J. LUDINGTON.

\Vitnesses:

THOMAS S. CRANE, L. LEE. 

